Timing the Snow
by Wrath Reign
Summary: Timrey, a fourteen year old sheltered from knowledge of the Underworld, goes on an adventure one day to find herself fall down the "rabbit hole". She becomes fascinated by the monsters there- Specifically, a certain two skeletons. Not only do they shield her fromt he cold in Snowdin, but the cold truth in the Underworld as well.
1. Chapter 1: The Rabbit Hole

_**Hey guys! Wrath Reign here. So, Undertale has already overtaken my life, so instead of posting a revamp of an old digimon story like I was going to, here's this. I don't expect it to exceed 10 chapters, but eh. Guess we'll see.**_

 _ **This is my first time writing with the Undertale characters, and I learned a few things. One, it's weird not making Sans crack a joke every second, but you sort of kind of have to not make him a joke dispenser or else get gets bone-dry. Two, how does one Undyne. And three, there's no way to really measure Papyrus' stupidity... Anyways.**_

 _ **I expect to get a lot of flame about this. First and foremost, let me say that the main character of this story is NOT to replace Frisk or any other character in the game. I'd tell you who she is, but that would spoil most of the plot. She does fit in and isn't me just mary-suing all over the place, I promise. And yeah knowing me she's probably a Sans x OC ship, so be prepared for that.**_

 ** _Totally cool with constructive criticism. I'd love to know how I could better in-character these guys, or how to show-not-tell more (One of my many writing problems, but one of my main ones to me.)_**

 ** _Anyway I'l stop babbling, so please enjoy!_**

* * *

" _Travel about a mile Eastwards, and you'll come upon a little town called Snowdin. It's a charming little place, but a bit too cold for me. It's nothing great, certainly less to explore, but maybe the people there will be able to help you find somewhere to have your adventure. Sorry I couldn't help you more, my child."_

The words continued going through my heads over and over. The look of despair on the goat woman's face was burned into my memory. Again, I had made someone sad. Was it wrong that it no longer bothered me? That anymore, I was able to push that fact aside like it didn't bother me? I tried not to let anything bother me anymore, few things did.

So I put foot after foot, the snow growing thicker under my feet. Chills shot down my back when my eyes landed on the village that Toriel had been speaking of. Only a person or two stood outside, but I felt like someone else was watching me. My eyes slid around the scenery, then there was a crunch behind me, the hardened snow crunching under someone's feet. I turned around quickly, holding a rock tight in my hand. Behind me stood someone of just skin and bones- Without the skin. He could only be about four foot four, not that I could talk at my four foot two stature. He had no ears, eyes, or nose, but there were eye and nose sockets. He wore a oddly constant grin.

He extended his hand for mine, "well don't just stand there"

I scrunched my shoulders up in hesitation, but slowly took his hand. A shock went through my hand and up my arm, causing me to squeal and release his hand. He was overcome with laughter for a minute, then grinned at me, "Joy buzzers never get old."

"I… See," I nodded curtly, "Do you live here?" I motioned back towards the village. He nodded, shrugging, "I was told by the lady in the ruins- Toriel, I believe - to come here and seek help from the villagers. See, I'm looking for somewhere to explore. I fell down here three nights ago, and I want to be able to learn as much about this place as I can."

"Lady in the ruins?" I noticed his eye sockets seemed to get wider, "You've met her?"

I nodded nonchalantly, "I fell pretty close to her home."

"I've… anyways, I'm not quite sure what to tell you. the ruins were probably the best place. there's the hotlands, but a human like you would probably burn up there unless you were careful. you'd be bone dry in seconds." He laughed at his own bone reference.

I knit my eyebrows together, "Where else is there?"

He shrugged, "That's it. the Ruins, Snowdin, and the Hotlands. sorry, the Underworld is pretty much skin and bones."

I rolled my eyes at this one, "I saw that one coming."

"Of course you did, you can probably see right through me," The grin he cracked got even wider. I grinned nervously and shifted my eyes away.

"The lady down here said that you guys all were… monsters. Like the ones Mom and Dad told me were banished from the- Overworld? We've never been told about monsters up there, none of my kids at school knew what they were talking about when I asked why no one went to Mount Ebott anymore."

His face turned cold, the lighter part of his black eyes fading to full black, his grin remaining but seeming more solemn, "Oh. Of course they didn't."

With the sudden lack of lights in his eyes and the less humorous look on his face, I felt unsettled. I took a step back, "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Not your fault," He responded with a shrug, the light slowly coming back, "Humans are jerks"

I looked at myself, then to him, "I guess you don't like me much then. Sorry, I'll leave you alone."

When I turned away, I heard him snicker, "The question is will I leave _**you**_ alone." I turned to face him, but he was missing. I turned fully and looked around, but there was no sign of him. There wasn't even as much as a footprint in the snow indicating which way he walked. An eerie feeling fell over me, so I panicked and made a break for it towards the village. I made it to a shop, in which a intimidating lady sold me cinnamon bunnies for 25 gold a pop. I only had enough to buy two, but I was starved. Outside, I slumped against the wall, crouched down.

It was freezing here, and the shop lady was too scary to stay in her presence when you weren't buying something. I hugged myself with one arm, holding one of the cinnamon bunnies, nibbling on the other in my other hand.

"Sans! Where have you been? You said you had the day off!" A skeleton yelled into his phone. He was tall, wearing a t-shirt with "I'm the best!" scribbled on it in cheap point, wearing basketball shorts as well.

"Boy, that guy's loud…" I mumbled, watching him since he was practically the only thing making much noise or moving.

"At the shop. I'm at the hot dog stand" A vaguely familiar voice responded to the tall skeleton. Was that the boy from before?

"Brother! We were supposed to have lunch together today. I even made spaghetti!"

"You make spaghetti all the time, bro. I'll eat some with you tonight"

"No, brother! You don't come home until late after The Great Papyrus goes to bed! You need to come home now and eat with me!"

"Can't, bro. I'm on duty," The voice responded calmly.

"You slack off all the time when you're working for me!" The tall skeleton responded, almost as if he were hurt. I frowned hard at him. Clearly his brother wanted to spend time with him, why was he being such a butt about it? There was something sweet about how desperate Papyrus was to spend time with - what he call him - Sans.

"Sorry, bro. gotta go. there's a customer. bye," And that was it. That was all the desperate brother got from the jerk. Papyrus seemed despite his face being stuck in a perpetual smile. I got up and clenched my fists, and walked up to the tall skeleton, trying to play off the fact I'd been listening.

"Hello, sir. Do you know where I can get a hot dog around here?" He gave me a weird look, then I remembered two things. One, anyone from around here probably knew where everything was. That guy from before - Sans, his name was Sans - said the entirety of the Underworld was summed up in three places, and neither of the places I'd seen too far were all that big. I expected the third to be roughly the same.

The second I realized was that I was blatantly a human. A tiny number of humans had ever come down here, most of the monsters had probably never even laid an eye on one. Surely I wasn't a normal sight.

Then, the skeleton surprised, "Good costume, friend. The nearest hot dog stand is, of course, at the Hotlands, close to the entrance! Follow that path and you'll find yourself there soon. My brother Sans works there, perhaps you'll meet him! If you do tell him- Oh! Do you suppose you could give him something for me?"

I was going to say no, because who knew what I'd end up doing - Probably getting lost and going on an adventure seperate from the one I was currently setting out on - but then I remembered the huge denial the poor skeleton had just taken from the- Sans. So I nodded timidly, "I suppose I could, if I do end up finding my way there."

As I slipped the second cinnabunny, wrapped in a paper towel, into the pocket of my hoodie, Papyrus ran off, to return a minute later with a startlingly large container of spaghetti. It wasn't a tub or anything, but it was almost a foot tall and had a good foot, foot and two inches diameter. It was filled to the brim with the stuff, plenty of noodles, chunks of what I hoped was hamburger, and a plentiful amount of spaghetti sauce.

"Could you deliver this to him, ma'am?"

"Deliver it to him… It's… kinda… big, isn't it?"

"Indeed! My brother needs plenty of food to keep him going! Ah, but you're stubby, it would be too much to carry! One moment!" Once again he ran off, this time returning with a roughed up red wagon. It was faded and chipped in paint, but otherwise it seemed it would work fine. He took the spaghetti and put it in the wagon, "There you go, "human!"

"Thanks… I'll get it to him. What was his name?"

"Sans, of course!"

"Right… I'll get it to him. Thanks for the direction." With that, I walked off down the path he had appointed me too.

It took quite a while before I actually made it to the hot dog stand, but I did find it. And the skeleton from my first encounter was standing there, hands shoved in his pockets, eyelids shut. I'd love to know how a skeleton has eyelids. I walked to him with the wagon rattling behind me, but he still didn't open his eyes. I stood there a moment, arms crossed, but he didn't say or do anything, didn't even open an eye to look at me. Finally I got fed up of being annoyed and hoisted the container of spaghetti up, slamming it down on the counter. He calmly opened his eyes and blinked at me.

"It's you."

"Your brother sent me to bring you spaghetti because he was worried you wouldn't eat otherwise," Not entirely true, but implied by their conversation.

"I don't want any. Send it back and tell him I'll eat hot dogs," I gritted my teeth and shoved the container closer to him.

"I'm not your errand girl! Tell him and worry him yourself! You know how worried he was about you? He craves your attention and you now it, and somehow you have the nerve to shove him away like that! You-"

"Okay, listen," He looked up at me, eyes both black again, the lighter parts gones again, "Tell me. What does any of this have to do with you?"

I clenched my fists tight and opened my mouth to respond to his question, but I slowly stopped. He was right, it had nothing to do with me. I turned away and went back to my wagon, stripping off my jacket and putting it in the wagon. It was too hot here to be wearing it anymore. I grabbed onto the wagon handle, "I'll just go return this to him. I'd take back the spaghetti, but I don't want to see him cry. Plus, if I take it back… I'm sure it'll just draw me into your business further."

As I started walking, I heard him start laughing, "Your resolve _**melted**_ quicker than I thought. Thanks for bringing me the food, kid- Kid? Hey!"

About that time, I collapsed forward. I heard the wagon tip over, whatever was in it splashing into the lava. Lava? We were surrounded by lava… and it just ate all I owned, and the wagon. I couldn't control my panting and gasping for air, and the temperature was nearly unbarable. I'd never lived anywhere warm, just colder places that got warm-ish during the summer. I was drying up quickly, I had to get out of there. I couldn't get to my feet, so I tried to crawl.

"Hey, kid? Kid, are you alright?" The short skeleton knelt over me, looking at me with lights in his eyes. I looked up at him to answer him, trying to tell him I'd be fine once I left, but at that moment, I collapsed again. Only a moment or two later, I was out like a light.

* * *

I woke up sprawled across a couch. At first, I assumed it was all a dream. I sat up and looked around, and the reminder where I was hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. I reached for the glass of half melted icy water to my right, and gulped it down gratefully. I tried to sit up, but I didn't have the strength yet, "H-Hello?"

The tall skeleton from before came around the corner in the kitchen immediately, "Human, you're awake!" Relief seeped out in his voice as he walked to me, "Brother and I were worried you'd never wake up!"

"W… You're… Papyrus, right?" My voice was laced with grogginess as I failed once again to push myself into a sitting position, "Y… Your wagon! It's… It's in lava!"

"Nevermind that thing, Human! I have three more! Are you feeling alright?"

My stomach burned and churned like a washing machine as I finally succeeded in sitting up, looking at him, "Where's he? Where's Sans?"

"Are you blind?" His voice came from behind me. I was startled enough to nearly jump off the couch, before turning to look at him, "Yeah, I'm going to leave the human that almost burnt to a crisp laying by herself in the living room."

I tucked my chin in so the longest pieces of my hair would hide my angry blush, "I didn't fall close enough to the lava for that."

"Oh really? Caught sight of your hand lately? It should eat more, it's looking pretty boney," I expected anything but what my eyes landed on. the tips of my middle three fingers were charred off, black residue from the ends that remained there. Why didn't it hurt? They were burnt down to the bone, the muscles were even frayed off, "Right, probably don't see much of that up there,huh? It's healing magic. I'm not good enough in it to give you what you lost, but enough to stop the pain. Otherwise that pain would've been bad to the bone."

I ignored the pun so I didn't end up hurting him, "Thanks, Sans. I-I guess I'd better get going."

"Silly human! A human is not simply out for six hours and then able to just up and leave! Have some spaghetti first!" Papyrus proceeded to sit a plate full of spaghetti down in front of me. Now I was no fan of spaghetti, but the only things I'd had since coming down here were a piece of butterscotch cinnamon pie and that cinnamon bunny. At this point, I was starved and wanting solid food, not sweets.

Too bad this food wasn't going to stay solid. One bite and I learned why Sans refused it. It tasted godawful, as if it had been scooped straight up from a sewage pipe specifically for fat rich people's toilets and showers. I heard Sans trying to contain his laughter behind me as Papyrus grinned and went to the kitchen.

It took every bit of willpower I had in me, but I got through the plate. I had to deny the second one, no matter Papyrus asked me if I was sure. I wasn't sure how much better I felt, but at least there was something in my stomach. Whether or not it would kill me, I wasn't sure yet. But I'd eaten and that was good enough for me.

* * *

"Kid, what are you doing?" Again, that stubby skeleton had come up behind me with no warning. I turned my head over my shoulder to look at him.

"I got bored- so I… I tried to make the place look like they do in the Overworld," Shame turned my cheeks pink as I lowered my head, "Sorry."

He cracked a wider grin than his default at me, "Only a week here and you're already modifying us. You guys have circles of rocks in front of your houses?"

I felt my mouth twitch into a nervous smile, "Well, yeah. We have little circles with flowers, and then half-ovals against the house for little flower beds. But… you guys don't have flowers. So I guess I should… Stop."

About an hour later, a snowball hit the window. Sans was waving to me, so I got up and went out. Out there, the circles were finished, and flowers made of snow were in the beds, "So like this?"

I felt my cheeks flush red, putting a hand over my mouth as I looked at it all, "Y-Yeah. Just like that, actually." I walked to them, leaning down and smiling.

"Huh? Kid? Why are you crying?" I quickly ran my sleeve across my eyes, "Kid?"

"I"m not. Not of sadness. It… Thank you, Sans," I stood and bowed to him, smiling to myself.

"Brother, Human! Get in here, your food is getting cold!" Papyrus called from the inside. I'd gotten used to his spaghetti- How could I not have, we'd had it a couple times each day, unless Sans grabbed some Grillby's on the way home- this week. It'd been exactly seven days since I'd fallen down the rabbit hole down to this place. I had yet to find a way to get back to the surface, Sans insisted there was no way, as did Papyrus. I didn't talk to anyone else really, besides Grillby's, but he gave me the same response as well.

As I scarfed down Papyrus' spaghetti, - Which made him very happy, I might add. - I noticed Sans not really attempting to eat it at all. Not wanting Papyrus to assume the worst, I asked him, "Sans, are you alright?"

"Huh?" He looked up at me and shrugged, then looked back to his plate, "Yeah, I'm alright kid. Just not very hungry."

"Oh… Alright. Hey, Sans. Do you have work today?"

"Yeah, at the hot dog stand and later at the lab. Alphys has me sorting cables for her."

"Alphys?" I furrowed my eyebrows as tight together as I could, "Who's Alphys? I never hear you talk about anyone besides Papyrus, Grillby, and I."

"Oh, she's a space case that lives in the Hotlands. I don't spend much time around her, pretty much just when she has a job for me to do. Ya know, weird things here and there. Money is money."

I fiddled with the zipper to my jacket, "Sans? You and Papyrus have jobs. If I'm going to be living here… Should I get one too?"

Papryus' eyes immediately lit up, "You've decided to live here with us, Human?"

I shifted in my seat, "I mean… You guys offered, and it's not like I know anyone else here. Plus, Snowdin seems pretty filled up, and we saw what happened last time I was in the Hotlands. So yeah… I figured I'd stay. But seriously, I'll work-"

"Don't worry about it, kid," Sans shrugged it off as he finally started eating his spaghetti, "You're not much of a space keeper, and you don't use much around here. For now, you're good. Maybe once you've lived down here for a year or so, we'll think about it again."

"A year or so…" I mumbled to myself, looking at the last bite of spaghetti on my plate. It was always a slap in the face to remember I'd be down here long term, more less forever. With no way back up, clearly I had no where else I could go. I was stuck in a world of strange monsters unlike humans at all, and there wasn't much I could do to change that. I looked at Sans and gave him a smile with only half of my heart in it, "Thanks, Sans."

"Whatever, kid," Somehow, he surpassed me in eating, and was done as he said this. He stood up and shrugged his jacket on, "Welp, I'd better be getting over to the stand. See you later, boneheads."

I got up and watched him walk as far as I could see from the front door, then I walked into the yard to look at the snow flowers. They made me so happy, I had no clue why. I guess it's just the fact that Sans worked so hard to make me happy over stupid flowers. Papyrus walked past me, "See you later, human!"

"Where are you going, Papyrus?"

"Ah! Just hunting for humans, Human! Wait…" He turned to look at me, "Human…"

"Hunting… humans?" I took a step back, "What do you mean, Papyrus?"

"King Asgore- Ah! Sorry Human, I can't stay! I need to get going!" The taller skeleton broke into a run before I could get an answer. I felt uneasy, so I quickly retreated into the house. I rushed to the phone, quickly dialing Sans' number. Before he could pick up, someone pounded at the door. I ducked under the sink, holding it tight.

"Hello? Listen, kid. I know you miss me and all, but I know for a fact Papyrus hasn't even been gone a minute now. I just got to work," How had he gotten there in that amount of time anyways? I whimpered and tried to speak, but I heard the door give to whoever was pounding on it, "Kid? What was that? Kid?"

I heart metal clank through the living room, a deep growl coming from whoever was out there. Before I could think, I sobbed Sans name. I heard a voice in the living room call out, "Who's there? Show yourself, coward!"

In my panic, the phone clattered to the floor within the cabinet. I heard the metal start coming my way, and my shaking wasn't doing much help at keeping quiet. I heard Sans in the phone yell saying he'd be right there. Only moments later, I heard the metal fall over, "For the love of god- Sans? Was it you all this time?"

"Undyne?" Sans burst into laughter, as if he'd just told one of the best jokes he'd ever come up with, "No, no. I have a guest here. You must have startled her. Timrey, come on out. It's alright," He sounded comfortable enough, so I closed my phone and crawled out, looking at him. One look at me slapped the humor right off his face, "Kid? Kid, it's okay. She's a friend of Pap and mine's. This is Undyne."

"Sans…" There was a woman in metal armor, her helmet having fallen off when she fell over it seemed. her skin- No, scales - were blue, and her ears looked more like fish ears. Her hair was a brighter shade of red than mine, and much longer, "Did you befriend a… human?"

Sans laughed nervously, "You know I don't have the _**guts**_ to turn someone like her away. I mean, look at her. She wouldn't make it five minutes here without me. She passed out in the hotlands after a good ten."

Suddenly, my gears switched. I wasn't worried about the lady on the ground anymore, I was worried I'd slam my fist into Sans' boney face. I gritted my teeth at him, "I made it much longer than five minutes without you. I'm plenty strong enough to fight on my own-"

"Sure you are, kid. That's why you're missing the tips of your middle three fingers, right?" I looked down at my hand and the surge of shock that always accompanied the sight shot through me, "Exactly. Listen, Timrey. I'm sure you could've made it longer than five minutes, but the point is, you wouldn't have survived."

"You don't know that," I said sharply, finally meeting his eyes again. The white lights within his eye sockets - pupils? - became minute as he looked at me, "I've made it on my own plenty before. Just because I fell down here doesn't mean I'm incapable of surviving."

"Don't get all bone-dry at me, Timrey. I didn't mean anything by it. It's not just you, afterall. Any kid who fell down here would be just as bad off. It's not your fault. The Underworld just isn't built for humans, in fact, it's specifically built to repel humans."

I stormed past him and his friend, towards the door, "I'll show you. Forget it, I don't need your help. I can make it on my own."

"Kid! Get back here you numskull! You'll freeze out there!"

I didn't care.


	2. Chapter 2: Stay Away

**Hey guys, Wrath Reign here! So, I realized something. I have an issue writing with cannon characters that the fandom likes. Such as Sans. Now I love writing and RPing with him, but publishing it is scary. People view characters so differently that you never know what people are going to say. Pretty much every fanfic I write with a cannon character, I have been/will be told that I wrote a cannon character out of character. Now, I feel like my Sans is pretty average from all the fanfiction I've read. That being said, if you have anything productive (As in not flame) to say that you think could help (not just criticize) my writing with Sans, Papyrus, or any other cannon Undertale character, let me know! Thanks!**

 **I hope you guys enjoy Chapter Two! I took some creative liberties and am starting to flesh out everything a bit more. The problem is a LOT of undertale fanfiction/comics/etc is based not only on head cannons but on different runs and all, so nothing is 100% solid. So, here's to hoping that everyone bares with me.**

 **And finally another reminder that this does not take place any time around Frisk.**

 **Alright, enjoy~**

* * *

I stomped along, angry to my core. Who did he think he was, saying I couldn't survive alone? I was certain I could, and he was just an idiot for thinking otherwise. I planned to get to the giant waterfall between Snowdin and the Hotlands, I figured if I followed the water there it'd be easier to keep track of where I was. Too bad I'd stormed out of the house without a jacket or a backpack of anything. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts, shivering under a cold gust, "Stupid skeleton..."

I didn't have many problems getting to the Waterfall. It was what to do after I got there. I sighed heavily and sat down next to it, scooping a handful of water and quickly downing it. I heard the ground next to me shift, and something popped out of it. I sat up quickly, staring at it. Something white and green- a flower. It had a bright smile and a cheery face as it looked at me, "Howdy!"

Boy, did I feel insane now. I swallowed and nodded at it, "Hey there."

"You lost? It's okay! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower! I'll help you! Where do you need to go?"

It took that one simple phrase for me to get shaken by a sob. I hugged my knees, burying my face in them, "I don't know. I-I don't know! Home, I need to go home! I need to get back to the Overworld!"

The flower giggled at me, making me want to uproot it, "The Overworld is a far way away from here, kiddo. I don't know how to get up there."

More sobbing, "I know... I know. No one here does. They all say it's hopeless! I... I don't want it to be hopeless! I... I want to go home! I want to finish this adventure! I miss Mom and Dad, and I miss my dog Max! And my little brother Dodson! I... I want to see them and for them to tell me it's alright!"

"Your little brother?" The flower cocked it's head to the side.

"No, my family! My whole family! I... I want everything to be okay again!"

A sympathetic look washed over the flower's face as it leaned closer to me, "I'm sorry, kid. I don't know how to help you. Maybe... Have you learned how combat works down here?" I shook my head, looking at him as my tears calmed down, "Stand up. I'll show you how it works."

I was shaky as all hell, but I got to my feet anyways. I kept my eyes locked on Flowey's as little white things - Seeds? Pods? Rocks? - floated around them, spinning in a circle, "These will help you. Here."

They came at me at an alarming rate, but I stood still, keeping my chest broad and my head turned. They panged against me with sharp, strong pain for such little things. I fell over as several cuts bled out onto my clothes. I looked at the flower, confused, but I almost screamed. His face had morphed to something inhuman - Inflower? Is there an in for a flower - and dangerous. It was grinning with a muscular facial structure, it's mouth widened much bigger than it should've been.

"Idiot," It hissed at me, "You'll be no challenge at all. Come here." The ground rumbled as roots started to poke up out of the ground.

In a moment of terror, I did the last thing I wanted to do in that moment, "Sans! Help me! Sans!"

The only sound for a minute was the flower's laughing as the roots grew up longer. But then I felt a hand on my shoulder, so sudden I screamed again, but then I looked up and saw the familiar short skeleton standing over me. He had one hand on my shoulder, the other in front of him glowing blue, suspending the flower where it sat it seemed by the blue aura around it, "Leave her alone."

The flower cursed under it's breath, glaring at him, "Damn it all. I'll be back for her later." The roots retracted, and Sans' blue aura fading from him. He disappeared into the ground, and Sans grabbed onto me and stood me up, pushing me against the rough surface of the wall behind me.

"You're alright kid, it's just me," He said sternly, looking me in the eye, "You can't just run out like that. You'll get hurt. Seems like you already have."

I shifted nervously to cover some of the cuts he was hiding, "I can make it out here, Sans."

"I don't care if you can, I don't want you to! I want you to make it with me and Papyrus!" He snapped, drawing my attention to the blue aura forming an iris in his black socket. I pressed against the wall, wishing he didn't have an arm on either side of me, "You don't need to be out here scraping by and getting hurt when you can live with us and live in peace!"

"Stop already, alright? Just stop!" I built up the nerve to shove him away, "You don't know what's best for me! You, Mom, Dad, you all think you know what's best for me, but you don't! I know what's best for me! I don't want to be cooped up in one place all the time, supported by others! I want to be independant and go on adventures! I want to survive on my own- No, not survive! I want to live! I want to prove I can lead just as good of a life without you as with!"

When I met the skeleton's eyes, I realized I'd made a mistake somewhere along the line, "So you're saying you don't need our company, our care, our friendship-"

"That's not what I'm saying, don't twist my words around-"

"Then what are you saying!" He shouted at me, backing up, "Because I clearly don't get it!"

I broke into a run to the side. I tried to make it across the huge waterfall, but I slipped when I was hit by a rock. I toppled down bellow and bounced on the wooden path, falling off of it too. I clung to the edge.I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on long due to me being wet and my shaking. When I blinked, Sans went from the waterfall to right in front of me. He leaned down and extended his hand, "Grab on, kid! Don't worry, I'll get you up here, I promise! No fibiaing!"

I tried to glare at him, but it came out more desperate than I meant and I grabbed onto his hand. He pulled me up to be level with him and sat me down on the wooden path. I panted and fell onto my butt, laying back as I stared up at the waterfall flowing behind me. I wanted nothing more than to never move in here again. It felt dangerous just to be on the path, as if I'd get light headed and collapse off of the whole thing.

Sans picked me up, grunting as he did, and started carrying me, "We'll settle this at home when you have less of a chance at getting hurt or sick."

"No... No, I'm fine!" I struggled against his grip, and he finally let me go when we got level with the waterfall again.I looked at him, trying to hold back my tears, but I couldn't. Before I could stop them, they rolled down my cheeks, "Sure, I may be a clutz. And I may be too trusting. But that doesn't mean I can't survive on my own! I want to- Being around people is scary! Every time I think I've done something wrong towards you and Papyrus, my stomach tries to eat itself I felt so bad! I just... It's easier on me and you if I just go away!"

"That's where your wrong," He said calmly, his eyes back to dim lights inside the sockets, not leaving my eyes, "Papyrus would worry to death over you. Literally. He'd probably go out to find you and manage to die on the way. I need you to stay here now, so that my brother won't worry."

I stomped my feet, not looking up at him, "I'm not going back."

"Why not? What's wrong with my house? What's wrong with being with us? Until I said something, none of it bothered you one bit! Everything was right as rain before! Listen kid, I'm sorry and all, I didn't mean to upset you! But you can't just change your mind about something like this! I was just trying to lighten the mood because you got scared and Undyne was confused. Undyne isn't... Safe when she's confused."

"She doesn't seem safe either way..." I mumbled.

"Exactly! Listen, I know you got scared, and I apparently upset you, but listen here, numskull. You can't just run away like this. There are bad people here who- Who... Who want you. Who would do anything to get a human on their hands- They'd kill there own family if it meant getting their hands on you! I don't want those idiots getting ahold of you. You've got to understand. That's why you have to stay in Snowdin, with me and Papyrus. Because I know everyone there, I can protect you there. Out here, I can't protect you. I got lucky finding you today. Next time, we may not be so lucky. Especially not if you run away without and leads as to where you are."

"Sans..." I tucked my chin closer to my chest, "Why does everyone want humans so badly, Sans?"

His eyes went wide - eye sockets? How? - as he took a step back from me. I had a feeling he either didn't mean to inform me of that, or that he had hoped that would breeze right over me. His face went solemn as his eyes shifted away from me. After a long moment, they returned, "There are some real sickos out there, Timery. Humans are rare down here. Unbelievably so. It'd be like if I went up to your world- Just me. Can you imagine how obsessive and freaked people would be?"

"I guess I can-"

"Monsters are a lot like humans, Timery. We want to be things we can't. We won't accept we can't. So we'll pick apart those who can to try and achieve our goals... Though we probably never will," He looked at me, the most serious I'd ever seen the skeleton, despite the glued on grin, "I don't want anyone to do that to you. That's why you need to stay with me."

I stood in silence for a moment, then broke our stare, "Sans... You can't keep someone like me in one place. If you try to... My soul will start a riot, and I'll do anything to leave," I looked at him again, "That's why I was on the mountain last week. Mom and Dad were keeping me at home, not letting me leave. It drove me insane."

"I'm not asking you to stay in the house forever, kid. I couldn't ask that of anyone. I'm just asking you to stay there while I'm not with you. Then we can go wherever you want," He said as he approached me, but for every step forward he gave I took one back, "Listen. I know it's not the most glorious set up, but it's that or die. Is that what you want?"

"It's better than sitting like a statue," I responded as I crossed my arms, "I don't want to be in hiding here. Things should be equal between monsters and I-"

"I never said they shouldn't be-"

"Well they aren't and that-"

"Like your idiotic humans treat us the same!" There was a blue light in his eye. It made my stomach churn as I backed away from him. I stumbled into the waterfall, going under the water and down the hill again. I gripped onto the rock wall, digging my hands into the soft rock. I held my breath tight, but I hardly had any to hold. I looked up, expecting to see Sans, but he wasn't there.

I waited a minute, but he didn't come. The clump of rock I had a hold on was starting to pull out from the wall, pliable from what I assumed was the wear and tear of having water run over you for this long. I closed my eyes, and moments later, I fell back, releasing the clump of rock to fall below me. I managed to grab onto the boardwalk, but it was slick and my grip was fading fast. I tried to sling myself up, but I couldn't.

Suddenly, something wrapped around me. It was green and crusted with dirt, coming out of the wall the waterfall fell down. It pulled me up to the opposite side of the waterfall Sans and I were on- Sans still was there, squinting his eyes as he cringed, looking at me. Whatever was around me unwrapped and disappeared back into the wall. I looked down to see the flower from before, smiling up at me, "Seems like the skeleton is a jerk. I'm sorry, I went wrong trying to teach you about the fighting method. It's hard to remember how drastically different things are down here, something else was supposed to happen. Why don't you come with me, and I'll really teach you?"

"Timrey, no!" Sans shouted, running with ease across the waterfall's ground towards me. I looked at the small flower and nodded. The thing from before - a root? - came back and wrapped around me, and the flower darted into the ground. I was pulled into the wall, so I curled into a ball to best conform to the hole. "Timrey!"

Where I came out was blatantly the hotlands. The root set me down in front of San's empty hot dog stand, and the flower popped up, huffing a bit, "There. Now, stand with your feet apart, your right shoulder and face towards me."

I tried to copy what he described, but it resulted in him laughing and shaking his head, "What are you doing, human? Do they really not make fighting a mandatory thing up there?"

"No... " I shook my head, taking a step back again, "Flowey... Thank you for trying to teach me, but... I think I need to go find Sans."

"No! You need to learn how to fight, what if that bonehead comes after you?" A root came up and adjusted my position, then retracted again, "Now, dodge these!" The white pellets from before appeared and shot at me. I slammed myself down to the ground, managing to dodge them all, "No, no, that won't do! You leave yourself defenseless for the next attack it if you dodge like that! Almost never should you give up your footing, learn to dodge left, right, up, and back. Try again."

The pellets appeared again, rotating around Flowey for a moment as he awaited my response. I nodded and resumed my previous position. The pellets shot at me again, and I spun to the side as a result to avoid them. One grazed my shoulder, leaving a long cut, "Damn..."

"Much better, human! Don't fret over getting hurt like that, that's an improvement from last time! Now, show me how you punch."

I immediately put all my force behind a punch and swung forwards at nothing, receiving a disapproving frown from the flower, "You think that's anything? That leaves you more defenseless than offenseful. They could easily kick your legs out from under you, or hit you the same. You have a lot of work to do, kid."

Sans finally came back to his stand. I was a sweaty, panting mess, ready to collapse. My sweat was so thick I mostly had to keep my eyes shut so that the sweat didn't sting my eyes. I was practically gasping for air, it felt as if boulders were crushing my lungs. How I was still conscious, I had no clue. When he saw me, he sprinted for me to catch me as I fell, "Timrey!"

Just in time, I caught myself and swung my body away from him, still panting as I glared down at him. He'd gotten down on his knees to catch me, I guess because he couldn't get low enough to catch me quick enough. Surprising for a short skeleton. He looked up at me, a bizarre look on his face, "Timery, have you been here the whole time?"

"Yes," I responded curtly. He looked terrified, reaching to put a hand on my shoulder, but I spun ninety degrees on one foot to avoid his hand.

"Timrey, what's going on? Why..." He shook his head, looking at Flowey, "You! Did you make her work here? Here, of all places? You stupid flower- I bet you knew she wouldn't be safe working so hard here! You-"

There was a smirk glued to Flowey's face, as if he had been waiting for this, "Why are you yelling at me? You're the one who scared her off. Plus, maybe if you weren't slacking off and had gotten back to work, you would've found her sooner. It's not my fault, I brought her right to you."

"He has a point, Sans," I said, feeling the twitch on my lips turn my mouth to a smirk, "You shouldn't have been slacking off."

"Timrey- I don't know what he's said or done to you, but he's bad news. You need to come back with me and Papyrus, and I'll fix all this-"

"I'm not coming back, Mom!" I cried out before falling to my knees, panting, "Sans... I mean Sans..."

Against my will, he got down next to me and put an arm around me. "Hot hot... It's burning hot... Let go, Sans..." I thought as I weakly tried to shrug him off of me.

"Kid, let's go. If you still want to leave once you're better, you can. Just let me help you get better," Sans said stubbornly, "Tibia honest, you look like a ghost and a tomato at the same time."

I wasn't in the mood for his puns, "To be honest, I don't care what I look like." I pulled away from him, shakily getting to my knees again.

"Come on kid, I think you've got a femur. We should get you cooled off," He tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. I stumbled away from him.

"I don't care if I have a fever. I'll be fine! I've had plenty of the before; it's not like I'm some helpless, fragile animal! I can take care of myself!"

"You are fragile down here, that's why I'm trying to help you- Timrey!"

About that time, I blacked out as I fell over a chasm of lava. As I remained unconscious, falling towards the hot liquid below, blue aura surrounded me, and I was lifted up out of the chasm and into Sans' arms. His blue eye dimmed back to normal as he stared Flowey down, "Stay away from her. This kid isn't becoming some pawn of yours."

"So you'd rather she become some pawn of yours? Sans, we all know you just like to mess with people. I doubt you truthfully care about her at all. I think I'd die from shock if you did. I suggest you leave her out of your little drama and leave her to the big boys. If you want her to suffer, I can promise you I'll do it-"

"That's exactly what I don't want! So stay away from her! Far, far away! Because if I see you again, I'll unroot you and burn you to a crisp! If you come after her again, I'll make sure you die right then and there, Flowey." With that, Sans carried me back to the house.

When I woke up, there was a cold washcloth on my forehead, the air conditioning was bumped as high as it could go, and at least three electric fans were focused on me, "I'm telling you, Sans! The human needs this! Or else she'll burn like your last attempt at cooking!"

Sans grumbled a moment, "If we run things like this, we'll lose all of our power. Then she'll really be screwed. I agree with you, Bro. She needs all this. But the question is how much can our little shack handle? Three fans, the AC, and the washcloth should be enough to keep her well until Alphys can figure out what we should do."

"Perhaps I should check her temperature again..." Papyrus responded, as if he hadn't heard a word Sans had said. I heard him pick something up.

Sans sighed, "You checked it two minutes ago, bro. We're just going to wake her up if we keep messing with her."

"Her fever was still 104 when we last checked it! Sans, Alphys said that that could kill her!"

"Could, bro. Could. It doesn't mean it will. I get that you're worried about her, I am too, believe me. I'm just worried that if she wakes up to us freaking out over her that she's going to keep pushing us away."

"Brother... Was she really that angry with you when you followed her through Waterfall the other day?"

Sans sighed again, even heavier this time, "Yeah, bro. She was. She was really, really angry with me. I'm not quite sure what I did... But I've yet to see her that mad. I'm just hoping that after four days of resting, she'll have forgotten all about it and we can just act like it didn't happen. Grillby said that was a possibility when I went over there to grab grub for you and I last night."

"I don't know how you understand that man, Sans," Papyrus started off, but then he went quiet for a second, "Sans, I believe the human is awake."

"What?" Sans shuffled into my view, walking over next to me. I stared at him, not having the motivation to speak to him. His and Grillby's hopes were unmet, I remembered every bit of it. I was still extremely angry at him for him yelling at me over the humans and expecting me to stay in one place. Until he apologized and admitted he was wrong, I wasn't saying a word to him, "Kid, you're up! God kid, you had me worried! I've hardly eaten-" His grin seemed to get wider, "You can see my ribs!"

My eyes shifted away, and I could practically feel his happiness drop. Good, he didn't deserve to be happy. Not with the way he made me feel, "Listen kid... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I don't think badly of humans, Time. I just think badly of the relationship Humans and Monsters have. The blame isn't to either, but it's still godawful and it ticks me off."

"Sans, perhaps it's best we not talk about that right now," Papyrus said quickly. He then proceeded to stick a thermometer into my mouth, "Sans! Her temperature is 106!"

I looked over my shoulder to Papyrus, "Crap..." I sat up, groaning in pain, "Papyrus,I need-" I shook my head and looked at myself. My feet were bare, My shirt didn't do much warmth wise, nor did my shorts. I nodded to myself and stood up, running out the door. I heard Sans groan, making me certain he didn't get the point. I threw myself down into the snow, laying on my back in it. My god, was it cold. But I was burning up. I felt so hot I was surprised the snow didn't melt upon contact with me.

"Human?" Papyrus ran out, then laid eyes on me, "Oh thank goodness, human! I thought you were running away again!"

"No, I was getting to where it was cooler," I said calmly as I heard Sans sigh in relief, just out of my view in the house. "It... Feels so much better out here."

"It's gotta be cold out there," Sans said as he finally emerged from the house, looking at me with his shit-eating grin as I propped myself up on one forearm, "You've gotta be chilled to the bone."

I tried to continue my stoneface, but I saw Papyrus trying to restrain his laughter. I realized how worried they must have been when I stayed asleep for four days. I thought about how worried they looked when I first woke up. How worried they still looked. And there was Sans, trying to lighten the mood again. I fell back into the snow, laughing. It hurt to inhale such cold air to laugh more, but I did. Because it felt like if I just kept laughing, I could repel all of the negativity.

Then I wondered if maybe that was how Sans felt. Maybe that's why he was always cracking jokes. Because he felt like if he kept everyone laughing, the negativity would disappear.

I finally calmed my laughter and sat up, looking at Sans, aware of the snow weaved into my hair. I hesitated for a minute, grinning at him, "I know, but I needed some snow to melt on me. With all those fans, I felt bone dry!"

He finally started laughing, and it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Seeing him genuinely smile because he was happy, not because that was how his face was forced to be or because he was trying to lighten my spirits. It honestly felt good, I wanted to see it more often. So as they spent the night fussing over me, trying to keep my temperature down without me having to lay in the yard all night, I started trying to make a catalog of puns in my head for cases where I needed to see it.


	3. Chapter 3: What Hasn't Been Told

**Hey guys! Wrath Reign here. Yep, totally didn't just type my old username. Anyways, I've had this chapter ready for a couple of days, buuuut I didn't have the internet to upload it with. xD Anyway, it seems like you guys like to read this, so I'mma keep writing it. Alright, anyways, enjoy~**

* * *

"Sans, where are you going?" I rolled over on the couch to face him as he sighed and looked to me.

"Just to Grillby's. I'll be back in fifteen minutes tops, the door will be locked and Undyne will be keeping an eye on the place, so don't worry. I'm just grabbing lunch so we don't have to suffer through another night of Pap's spaghetti." He cracked a larger smile at me, "Tibia honest, I'm sick of spaghetti."

My lips curled down into a frown, "Let me at least go with you. It's been four days since I woke up, Sans. I'm fine-"

"Absolutely not, kid. You've gotta stay here and keep healing. Rest up, I'll be back soon."

"Why can't I go to Grillby's with you? I'm perfectly fine, see?" I sat up and got to my feet, keeping my stance strong. Sure, I felt like I'd collapse, but he didn't have to know that. He just had to know I seemed fine. However, my show didn't get through him.

"Because until you can stand without feeling like a poorly built house of cards, you're not leaving walking anywhere that's not on this floor of the house and necessary."

My nails dug into my palms from how tight my fists were curled, "Sans. Humans aren't just bone idle while they wait to get better. They've got to push themselves to get better, help their body get and stay used to it. We don't live that far from Grillby's, It'd be a short walk there and back, I'll even sit the whole time we're there. Don't keep me cooped up here- That's why this whole thing started."

Sans cringed, looking away, "I was hoping you'd forgot about that."

"Well I didn't. My memory is fully intact, thanks. Now, let me come with you. I'll get my shoes and jacket on and I'll get some fresh air and then we can come back here and I'll rest the rest of the day. Deal?"

He turned his back to me, "Fine. Get your stuff- Get your gloves and hat too. We don't need you getting sick on top of this."

I went to the kitchen where I last left my stuff, pulling my jacket and gloves on. It took me a moment to locate my hat, apparently Papyrus had used it as a pot holder. He was at work right now, whatever work was. I walked back to the living room, mentally preparing myself for the trek over there. But apparently I didn't need to, because Sans was no where to be seen. I looked around the room, but he was gone.

"Sans?" No response. I walked to the door and a piece of paper laid on the floor, sloppily crumpled up and flattened back out.

"See you in fifteen minutes." Darn it, Sans! Why did he have to always trick me like that. That must've been why he didn't look a at me when he agreed. I crumpled up the paper and threw it at the TV, the source of my entertainment. On it was a rectangular robot with flashing lights, he was on every channel it seemed. He was doing a viewer call in. I sat down and picked up the phone, dialing the number.

"Hello, caller! Mettaton is speaking! What is your question?" On the screen, the robot was holding a mic to where his mouth would've been if he had had one. Those words had come through my phone.

"Uh... Hey there, Metta- Mettaton. My name is Timrey. What do you do if your injured but trying to get over it and go somewhere with the person taking care of you so you can get better, but when you go to get dressed and come back they're gone?"

"Oh! Such a hard question, my dear Timrey! I'm sorry this has happened, my beautiful viewer! I would suggest going anyways, meeting them there and telling them how cruel they were to leave you alone! That, or come to the Hotlands for a free Glamburger from yours truly!"

I shuffled my feet against the carpet surrounding the sofa, "Thank you, Mettaton. I'll come sometime."

"Of course, my dear viewer! You have a glamorific day!" The line died, and I sat down the phone as Mettaton moved on to the next viewer. Someone he referred to as Blooky, and sounded as if he were having a bad day. I pulled my boots on, nodding to myself. As crazy as he was, the robot was right. I should just go after him if he's going to be mean to me, not just lay down and take it.

I opened the door, and the cold hit me like a brick to the face. Why hadn't I felt the cool air when Sans left? In fact, why hadn't I heard the door? With the wind blowing like it was, I would've heard the door slam. I closed the door behind me- Just like expected, a loud thud- and started on my way. The snow was falling pretty densely, it was hard to see. I could still see the glow of the lights around town, so I was pretty comfortable with it. In the distance I could see what had to be Grillby's sign due to how bright and big it was.

I started trudging towards it, the snow thick at my feet. It took a moment to lift my foot up out of it, and another to get it into the next sturdy enough I could shift my weight. All and all I was walking pretty sturdy, just slow and taking my time.

When I opened the door at Grillby's, I was met with a familiar scene. His regulars filling up the first table to the left, and the two booths to the right. I walked right up to the bar where Sans had sat the few times he'd been there, but he wasn't there. I glanced up and down the bar, to the tables, the booths, but there was no short, stubby skeleton with a grin glued to his face. I sat down in front of Grillby and looked at him, "Where's Sans?"

He responded in a series of crackles, and then I remembered that he couldn't speak. Few monsters could understand him, and Sans was one of those few. That's the only way I could communicate with him before. I sighed and laid my arms on the table, burying my eyes in it. Maybe he'd lied to me, maybe he hadn't come to Grillby's at all. I looked up at the fire monster, "Has Sans been here at all?"

I'd been hoping he would nod, but he didn't. Another series of crackles came, so I just sighed again and reburied my eyes. I didn't feel up to walking back yet, being with Sans had been my motivation. Showing him I was better. But he wasn't here, and he wouldn't be escorting me back, which meant he wouldn't be seeing me get here, or get back. It made me feel as if there wasn't a point in rushing back. Was there?

Just returning back to the couch I'd laid on all week, watching the same robot's same shows I'd watched all week, to sleep out of boredom as I had all week. I sighed, "You know, Grillby. I wish Sans would just trust me to do things on my own, or at least by his side. But I messed up once or twice without knowing I was being judged. I just...I hate being held down. I hate being forced to lay down and not just push my way through it. I want him to see that humans aren't the same, and I especially am not. I'm fine, and need to be allowed to move as normal to get better. And I know they're just worried and trying to help me, but it's like I'm their pet. They take care of me, and leave for the day, tell me to stay, to sleep, to lie down... I feel like a dog."

Crackles returned to me, but I wasn't sure if I'd even want to know what he said. He didn't sound angry, but could crackles sound any sort of way? I closed my eyes, no longer straining in the darkness to see the wood patterns on the counter, "He doesn't trust me."

I sat up and smiled halfheartedly at Grillby, "Thanks for listening, Grillby. I guess I better head back. To be honest, I'm not sure if you said he was here or not, but by now, wherever he was, he's probably home. He insisted he'd be back in fifteen minutes. I'm sure it's been double or triple that by now, or at least by time I'll get home. See ya."

I headed out the door, looking at my blurry, thin tracks on the ground. The snow had filled them about three-fourths of the way full, and were not letting up on the last fourth. My best bet was to follow them, considering there wasn't really a light at Sans and Papyrus' house to let me know where to stop. I tried to be quicker in my pace, but that resulted in me face-planting into the snow. About the third time I did that, I just laid there for a second. I was panting, and it was really cold. I just needed to rest there for a second. My breath had melted the snow, all I needed to do was lay there for just a second and breath.

A second turned into a minute. A minute turned into many. I finally tried to push myself up, but realized I couldn't feel my arms enough anymore. It was like moving limp slabs of meat connected to barely mobile joints. Snow was piling up on me fast. If I laid here an hour or so, I'd be hardly recognizable under the snow. I tried to crawl, but it only made matters worse. I just sunk deeper into the snow. Where was Sans? Shouldn't he have been looking for me by now?

It was so cold. It was bitter cold, my body felt how I imagined jumping into the arctic ocean would feel. I just wanted a little warmth, just a moment of relief from how sickeningly cold it was. But no matter what I did, I couldn't escape it. Nothing could stop the cold I felt, I was certain of it. I hoped that my heart stopped working soon at least, though I was pretty sure my lungs would go first. I couldn't really inhale anymore.

I heard someone really far away. So incredibly far away, I wasn't sure how I could hear them. I was able to lift my head enough to see a blue glow in the distance, just barely tinting the snow falling down. They were repeatedly calling the same thing. Were they looking for someone? I hoped they found them. I hoped no one met the same fate as me. It must be nice for someone to care enough to come out into this frozen hell to search for you.

I couldn't tell what they were calling. Was there someone else in my position? Freezing to death in the powdery snow, beautiful at sight but deadly. Was there possibly someone else suffering this way? I wanted to help them, but how could I? I couldn't move. I was in so much pain.

Two other voices joined the first. The first voice was a deeper male, almost a hollow sound. The second was the voice of a female, bold and sharp against the cold wind. The third was a more naselly male. All three called the same thing. The name, I would assume. Or were they just looking for one another? Was that it? Was I the only one suffering here alone? Maybe, if I got lucky, one of them would find me... No, but they may find my body before it's forever lost under this snow.

The voices grew closer, but I kept myself from hoping they would find me before I gave out. I could feel it coming, there was no way I would make it out of this one. Even though the voices were coming closer, they weren't going to make it in time. Funny, how close they were seeming to get. It made me feel bitter.

"T..." The first voice called. They were close enough that I was starting to be able to hear them. I tried to call out to them, but inhaling felt like taking a knife to my lungs with little spurs rolling around within them. Tears rolled down my cheeks, feeling like slick ice cubes forming out of my eyes and sliding down my cheeks, into the snow close to their origin.

"...rey!" The female one this time. It was all I could do not to fall asleep. I wasn't ready to given, though I knew I didn't have much fight left within me. I had to at least try and go out fighting. I couldn't let my last battle be the one where I threw in the towel before it was taken from me.

"im..." The naselly one. They sounded so familiar, but I figured it was because I'd been listening to them for so long. I hoped that could hold out until they found who they were looking for, anything that might change there path, I wanted to hold out for. Maybe they'd cross mine and save me. Maybe I could still make it.

"imre..." Who was I kidding, there was no way I was going to make it.

"Timr..." It almost sounded like they were calling "time" over again, but there were other random letters strewn about in there.

"Timrey!" Who? They said t-I-m-r-E. Timrey. Who was that? I'd never heard of that person again. Then again, I didn't know my own name right now.

"Timrey, oh my god!" The voice sounded so close to me, but also very distant. Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me and lift me up, scaring me into a sharp but shallow inhale that pierced me, "Oh, god, Timrey look at me!"

It was the first voice I had heard. Whoever was standing there was the first voice I'd heard. Why were they calling me that? Had they mistaken me for the one they were looking for? Well, whatever, I guess. It was too late now, I was sure of it. My eyes were practically frozen shut and I couldn't will my body to move, or my lips to make words. It was over, they'd come too late.

"Timrey, please!" The naselly male voice begged from slightly further away.

A rough hand brushed the snow and somewhat frozen tears from my eyes. The hollow voice sounded as if it were full of tears, "Come on, Timrey. Please. I'll let you go with me next time- Look at me!"

"S-She's still b-breathing," A fourth voice joined them, a shaky female one. "S-She might s-still b-be okay. L-Lets get her t-to warmth and I-I'll take a l-look at her."

I felt cloth drape across me, and something wrap softly but firmly around my neck. The one holding me started running towards somewhere, I wanted to say it was the direction they come from but I wasn't sure anymore. It was a shame I felt myself fading out. I wanted to answer there pleas, but I just couldn't. I'm sorry, Sans.

Sans. Oh my god, it was Sans holding me. "Timrey" was me, wasn't it? I fell down here into the Underground, right? That naselly male was Papyrus, and the female was Undyne. Who was the fourth voice though? Was I still forgetting someone? No, no,who was it? Who had I forgotten?

When I awoke, I was laying on a mattress. I mean quite literally, there were no sheets or covers beneath me. However, there were blankets piled on me, and a pillow from the couch nestled under my head. Where was I? This wasn't the couch, and it wasn't Papyrus' bed. His mattress was creaky because it was that one made for the racecar bed. Was this still Sans and Papyrus' home?

My eyes cracked open, to my relief. I was scared that I'd lost all control of my body after that cold spell. I clenched my fingers tight and relaxed them repeatedly just to make sure. Then I picked up on Sans talking, "...should of stayed with her. I just... I knew she needed to eat, but I knew she didn't need to be out there..."

"Sans, I know. You keep telling us. But it's not your fault, so just put a sock in it. The human is gonna wake up and she's gonna be fine," Undyne replied, sound agitated.

"But... She's a human. What if she gets sick and we can't fix it? I don't-"

"S-Sans, it's a-alright," That voice from before- the one I didn't recognize- responded. "I-I can h-help y-you to t-take care of her. I-I know a lot a-about humans, w-we can keep her s-safe."

Sans sighed, "I hope your right, Alphys. Did... You see how pale she was? She looked like a skeleton herself.'

"Brother, perhaps it's best you leave her alone and let her rest for a while," Papyrus said from the doorway, "Come eat some spaghetti. I made it with hot dogs in it just for you, Sans."

"Later, bro. I promise," Sans seemed completely put back together again. I guess he was hiding his weakness from Papyrus.

"No, brother. You need to eat now. Come on, the human will still be there when you get back, and she'll be just as fine as she is right now if not better. Please brother, don't make yourself sick worrying about her."

I heard the weight of the bed shift as he came up off of it, "Alright, brother. Maybe when I come back, she'll be awake, and she can eat some too."

"S..." I tried to speak, but my lungs still hurt. Sans looked at me over his shoulder.

"Huh?" He did a full turn to me, the whites in his eyes becoming miniscule, "Timrey! You're awake! How long have you been- Sorry! I guess I'm a bonehead for not realizing you were up."

I couldn't speak so I knit my eyebrows together, looking at him. A small yellow lizard like creature was to his right, though in some ways she looked more like a dinousaur. Her hands were together at her stomach, intertwined, "P-Perhaps s-she is h-having trouble speaking from t-the damage to her l-lungs."

"Shit..." He mumbled and sat back on the edge of the bed, looking seriously at me, "Timrey, you've been asleep for almost two weeks. What... Why did you... I mean, it's my fault for leaving without you but... I'm sorry. I won't do it again, but please don't just leave like that again."

I shifted my eyes down, trying to speak but failing. The lizard handed me a notepad and a pen. I quickly scribbled, "I'm sorry. I just got frustrated because you didn't let me go. It hurt because you lied to me so I wanted to prove to you that I could do it alone, more less with you."

Sans read it quickly and sighed, "I know, I know. I shouldn't have lied to you. I shouldn't have left without you, I just figured you'd get mad and stay behind and then sulk for awhile and then it'd all be okay again. I never thought you'd actually just leave the house by yourself. I should of figured, with all of your storming outand all... But I didn't. Guess I didn't think you had the guts."

I sighed heavy and took the notebook back, "This isn't really a time for jokes, Sans. I didn't mean to scare you, but I hope you get it now. I don't want to spend my whole life inside, even if it means I stay safe. I'd rather die living than live surviving. Do you get it now, Sans? Because if you don't, I don't think I can live here with you anymore."

I held the notebook tight to myself for a moment, hesitating, but I saw Sans getting anxious and handed it back to him. His little pinprick lights zoomed while he read it, "Timrey... Yeah, yeah. I get it now. I just... You keep getting hurt. Just let yourself really heal this time, and I'll stop treating you like a babybones. Deal?"

I sighed and took the notebook in defeat, "Let me at least walk and stuff. When I start getting strong enough to walk, let me walk with you to Grillby's. Okay, Sans?"

He read it and set it down, shifting uncomfortably, not looking at me. He looked at the dinosaur, then me, and finally he nodded, "Fine, Timrey. Whatever it takes, I guess. You've got me worried to the bone all the time."

I shook my head and giggled, though it hurt to. I took the notepad back, "Well sorry I went out and got chilled to the bone. No go eat, I'm bone tired."

My terrible puns provoked some laughter from him, "Alright. I'll be downstairs, I'll bring you some food back up. If you need help, uh..." He picked up a heavy book and handed it to me, "Drop this on the floor. My room is right above the kitchen, so I'm sure I'll hear it."

Then it hit me. I was in San's room. In the time I'd spent here, I'd never been in his room. He kept it locked, and he came and went so quickly I never caught him going in or out. My eyes scanned the room, then I realized he was waiting for a response. I nodded, "Alright then, kid. I'll be up here in a flash if you need me, alright?"

I nodded again, and with that he left with the yellow lizard. I looked at the book. It was some sort of book on physics in space. I had no clue why Sans would own something like this, he didn't seem like the type who would be interested in anything scientific. I held it tight to myself as I thought about it. From the Underground, you couldn't see the stars, or space at all. There wasn't really a sky, it was pretty much a huge cavern. From someone who knew the sky well, it was sort of depressing.

I wondered if the monsters who were here ever knew the Overworld, the sky above. They clearly knew about it if Sans had a textbook on it. But had they cherished it like I did? Did knowing they'd never see it again make their hearts ache like mine? My details on what happened were vague at best, the humans never spoke of it, most children of my generation didn't know about it. I knew about it before from a history textbook in the public library- the briefest of mentions - but it didn't say anything more than a sentence or two about it.

The rest of my knowledge before coming down had come from endless internet searches that didn't tell me much more, questioning the elders, and begging anyone I could for knowledge of it. I still ended with very few unconfirmed facts. A war had taken place between monsters and humans, who used to live in harmony. Everyone said it was the fault of the monsters, but something wasn't quite right the way they said it. And another thing I was told was that we were worried the monsters were trying to take over. Where had that all come from?

In the end, we sealed the monsters in the Underground. They couldn't get out, and that was that. We could get in, but then we couldn't get out. That was it. That was all my parents had bothered to allowed me to know, and Sans wouldn't tell me much more besides the fact it wasn't the monster's fault. So who was I supposed to believe? The people who gave birth to me or the people who actually showed they cared about me?

I sighed and laid back on the bed, fingers tight around the book. Not only was a lot I didn't know about this world, but there was lot I didn't know about the people in the house I lived in. What if they really were the bad guys? Undyne certainly wasn't the most friendly person in the world, and she seemed ready to kill me when she first met me. But then why would they all have come searching for me in such a snow storm? When they could've let me die and I could've been off their hands?

I started getting the feeling that there was a lot I didn't know about them. I couldn't really recite many facts at all about them, besides the obvious. Sans and Papyrus were skeletons, Sans was older and loved terrible jokes, Papyrus was younger and was proud of himself, and a lover of spaghetti. Papyrus was a guard for something, while Sans worked at more jobs than you could count on one hand. Undyne was a much higher up guard, pretty much Papyrus' boss. That's all I knew.

I couldn't tell you much else about them, besides little quirks they had. Like Sans calling Papyrus "bro" and despite the term it sounding so loving if you paid attention. And how much Papyrus looked up to Undyne despite thinking he was the best. How Undyne was so abrasive in her personality but wasn't as mean as she seemed. Everyone around here came off a different way than they really were, it wa strange. Was it somehow possible their "true" personalities were all an act?

But then why did they bend over backwards to make sure I was alright, whether I wanted them to or not? Why did they put their differences towards humans aside for me? Were they just feeding me up to slaughter me like a pig? Was there going to come a time where they would turn against me and just kill me in cold blood? Tears. I felt tears forming at the thought. There was no way that Sans and Papyrus would that to me right?

I laid my head back, staring at the ceiling. The tears wouldn't stop, they refused to. I felt weak and helpless. As that thought crossed my mind, I realized I wasn't holding the textbook tight enough anymore. It slid to the floor and landed with a "thump". I quickly rolled onto my side and closed my eyes,pretending to be asleep. I heard footsteps at the doorway walking to me, "Timrey? What's wrong?"

Another set of footsteps came, this one I heard on the stairs, "Human! Do not fear, the Great Papyrus will help you!"

I cracked my eyes open, pretending to yawn. I tried to speak, but remembered I couldn't. I picked up the notepad from before and scribbled, "Yeah, Sans? Whatcha need?"

"You dropped the book, kiddo. That was supposed to mean you need something."

"Crap, sorry Sans. I must've dropped it by accident in my sleep," I jotted down quickly, "I'm fine."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright, human!" Papyrus exclaimed, "I was worried! But as long as you are alright, spaghetti calls!" With that, he ran back down the stairs. Sans, however,stayed still.

"Alright, so why are you crying, kid?" Sans asked, crossing his arms, "Don't give me this crap. Tell me why you were crying."

I wrote as quick as I could, "I don't know. It must've been a nightmare."

But he shook his head at me, glaring at me with lightless eyes, "Tell me, kid. I'm not leaving you alone about it until you do. You have to trust me and I have to be able to trust you. This means being more open with me, and me having more faith in you. So just tell me and we can get past this."

"Sans... I promise, it was just a nightmar-" Before I could finish writing, he slung the notebook out of my hands and onto the floor, grabbing my chin and making me look at him.

"Timrey. Tell me the truth. Why were you crying? There's got to be a good reason if you're crying, and I want to know what it is so I can help you."

I whimpered and cast my eyes downwards, trying to figure out how to speak with him. Finally, I took his hand and traced the letters out, "I just... Everything that my home told me about monsters- which wasn't much - made them sound like such bad people. And I know you guys aren't... Not you or Papyrus... But I want to know why my family and everyone thought so badly of you all. And why you all got cast down here. I... I want to know the history of monsters, and if I'm completely safe down here... Or if there are monsters who want me dead for me being a human."

It took him a minute to comprehend all that I wrote and put all the pieces together, but then he met my eyes again, "Timrey... Don't you trust us?"

I nodded quickly, then buried my face in my hands as his fell away from my chin. I held my head there, feeling myself crying again. I wanted him to know that I trusted him- I just didn't' trust this place. I couldn't explain it well, I just didn't feel safe when I remembered what humans did to monsters. Surely there was someone holding a grudge out there. Someone who didn't like me being here in the place we decided was the monsters'- minuscule in comparison to our place. Diverse . Cold. Sad. In a way, I sort of hated humans too for it, now that I saw what monsters lived in. They didn't seem to mind as much, but they also didn't seem to know the difference.

Sans knew. Sans knew the difference. The textbook proved that he knew about stars, the sky. He didn't need me to tell him, he knew what he was missing. And sometimes, when I talked about home, I could see how badly it hurt him to be stuck down here. Just like how I didn't want to be trapped to this one house, unable to leave, he didn't want to be trapped to the Underground his whole life. I didn't either. I hadn't gotten sick of it yet, but in years I would. Eventually I would know every little thing about the Underground and how it worked, then I would grow bored of it. Then I would be in the same place as the monsters. This place was breath taking to visit, but living here my whole life made me feel like a caged bird.

I pointed to the textbook. His face shifted to confusion, but he handed it to me. I opened it up and flipped through the pages, then pointed to a picture of the sun and the moon, "Oh... You miss them, don't you kid?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, eyes to the side. Saying no would be lying, but that wasn't what I was trying to point out. I pointed to him, "Me? You think I... Kid, you can't miss something you never had."

I finally got him to hand me the notebook, and I started on a new page, "You want to see it for yourself. You want to see it outside of pictures, to experience the stars and the moon and the sun and the clouds. You want to feel the sunshine and bask in the moonlight. Just because you never have doesn't mean you don't want to. I can see it sometimes, how bad you want to. And I want to bring you there too. I want to go home, and I want you to come with me."

He looked ready to cry, but he smiled at me all the same, "That'd be nice kid, but things like that can only happen in fairy-tails. This is no fairy-tail. I can't get to the surface, and neither can you. We're... We're stuck here."

I frowned and shook my head, "Sans... There's a way to do anything. It may not be easy or quick, but there's a way. You and I can make it to the surface. It may take time and work and patience, but we can. We can take the whole Underground with us if we really want to. We can show the other humans that monsters aren't bad. They're like humans, right? There are bad eggs, but the whole dozen isn't bad. Not... Not all monsters are bad."

He seemed to study me for a second, "You know kid... You're something else."


End file.
